A 25 year old Filipino citizen, Jaysen Reyes, came to Canada in 2013 as a temporary foreign worker to earn money to send home to his mother and brothers. Soon after arriving in Red Deer while working at the West Park Fas Gas station, Reyes was shot in the face and hands during a robbery.

Represented by Calgary immigration lawyer Evelyn Ackah, after 4 years of submitting applications and paperwork on March 14 Reyes met with Citizenship and Immigration Canada in Calgary and was granted Canadian Permanent Residence status.

“I really feel like he’s just so fortunate, given the tragedy and all the things that occurred, that he had such a wonderful supporter in Parkland Fuel. The company has been very modest and low-key about accepting credit for helping Reyes," said Ackah.

I've never seen anything like it in 20 years practicing law.

~ Immigration lawyer Evelyn Ackah

“I’ve never seen anything like it in 20 years practicing law,” Ackah said of the support Reyes got from the company, in particular senior vice president Peter Kilty and president Bob Espey.

Ackah continued, “It’s been a one-in-a-million type of case and so I’m very happy that the Canadian immigration system actually worked in his case and saw the humanitarian and compassionate considerations of this very unique case.”

Now that Reyes' application for permanent residency, once called being landed, is approved he can apply for Canadian citizenship in 4 years.